Hope my earlier email explains things, Martin. If you are on the general
ACB mailbase (the whole issue is relevant to more than just POCT),
you will have seen my posting of 25 April. I did get some replies,
although not many! I'm forwarding it to this conference.
It isn't fair to say that things have been "stitched up" by AHPs.
The original Critical Care Report dates from April 1999 - see
http://www.doh.gov.uk/compcritcare/index.htm
Fran Woodard, who is a Physio, took it upon herself to set up a group
because of the lack of involvement of AHPs in the original Report and
campaigned to get the Advisory Group supported by, and involved with,
the Modernisation Agency, who are managing the implementation
programme of the original Critical Care Report. She has included
scientists on this Group - later than AHPs, but after all, we as a
profession could have done something before then, but didn't!
Fran is to be congratulated for doing something about the narrow
representation of the critical care professions (ie just medical and
nursing until she did something about it), and although it is very
unfortunate that scientists were not included until much later, we are
included now, although the AHP Advisory Group is not the most
effective medium for us. Getting that changed in such a way that the
Modernisation Agency listens to us is essential and progress is being
made.
We had decided that Dominic should do the presentation at the 11 June
event for clinical scientists, as he actually works within an ITU, although
a number of people have indicated to me since that someone who
works in pathology should have given it - this would certainly have
given a mainstream POCT approach, plus some indication of the wider
involvement of pathology in critical care work. The problem was - and
is - that this Group is far from ideal for us, as AHPs do not understand
what we do, and feedback indicated that many of them think it's
irrelevant to them anyway. All the more reason to get our voice heard
via a scientists' subgroup - but this must be within the Modernisation
Programme's official implementation process otherwise we will be
ignored. All the more reason for everyone to get involved with their
Trust Critical Care Delivery Group (find out what your Pathology rep is
doing) and local Networks.
I have commented on the Critical Care Technicians in my earlier email.
I don't think it is tacitly assumed that POCT is part of their role, but if it
is, then again - if we all get involved with our local systems, we can
make clear whose role it rightly is, and why.
Joan
> I think this is terrible. There is no input as far as I can see from
> Healthcare Scientists. The whole thing seems to have been stitched up by
> AHPs. To be fair, Dominic Cox, is a Clinical Scientist and he hammered QC
> in his launch presentation but I suspect not a lot of notice was taken.
>
> I note it is tacitly assumed that near patient testing comes under the role
> of the Critical Care technologist.
>
> Should there be a formal response to this from the professional
> organisations?
>
> Regards,
>
> Martin Holland.
> Head of Clinical Chemistry
> New Cross Hospital
> Wolverhampton.
> UK
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Doug Hirst [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 15 July 2002 14:01
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: POCT in critical care
>
>
> How many people have seen the article on the role of Health Professions in
> Critical Care - on the DOH web site:
> http://www.modern.nhs.uk/scripts/default.asp?site_id=20
> <http://www.modern.nhs.uk/scripts/default.asp?site_id=20&id=6511> &id=6511
> This seems to be pushing for the role of critical care technicians but not
> much direct role for lab staff.
>
> The article claims to have input from clinicals scientists and MLSOs but
> they are not listed in the contributors. Anyone know who they are or what
> input they had?
>
> There is no mention of connectivity or data capture.
>
> Doug Hirst
> Bradford ROyal Infirmary
>
>
>
________________________________________________
Dr MJ Pearson
Department of Clinical Biochemistry & Immunology
Old Medical School
Leeds General Infirmary (Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)
LEEDS LS1 3EX
Tel 0113 392 3945
Fax 0113 233 5672
http://www.leedsteachinghospitals.com
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